This invention relates to a mine stopping and, more particularly, to a mine stopping comprising a plurality of metal panels adapted to be installed side-by-side to stop a passage in a mine.
Mine stoppings are widely used in mines to stop the flow of air in passages in the mines, a stopping typically being installed at the entrance of a passage to block flow of air therethrough. This invention especially involves an improvement on the mine stopping of the type such as is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,729,064 and co-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,642 comprising a plurality of elongate extensible panels extending vertically in side-by-side relation from the floor to the roof of a passageway in a mine. Each panel has a head and a foot adapted for pressure engagement with the roof and floor of the passageway when the panel is extended during installation. To provide an effective seal, the head of each panel typically has a resilient sealing member therein which is compressed during extension of the panel to seal against the roof. A problem encountered with the prior mine stopping is that the head has been asymmetrically formed, resulting in unequal forces exerted by the sealing member on opposite sides of the head during compression of the sealing member. This has caused the panel to list or cant off vertical during installation.